FNM CAMPAIGN LAUNCH FALLS FLAT AS EMPTY SEATS EXPOSE PARTY’S DEEP TROUBLES

The Free National Movement’s official 2026 campaign launch landed with a thud Saturday as the party failed to fill seats at what was supposed to be its biggest show of strength before the general election.

Party Leader Michael Pintard had been under significant internal pressure to deliver a strong turnout. Just days before the event, party insiders privately admitted that recent FNM events had failed to generate the enthusiasm the opposition had hoped for, with ratification rallies and the Freeport candidates launch all drawing modest crowds.

Saturday’s showing confirms that Pintard has not solved the enthusiasm problem. It also validates the concerns raised publicly by senior FNM figures. Former Cabinet Minister Dame Janet Bostwick recently said the party faces an uphill battle. Former Deputy Prime Minister Brent Symonette pointed to the lingering damage from the Minnis administration. And former Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis himself has walked away from the party entirely, announcing plans to run as an independent in Killarney.

The FNM enters this election cycle at just 18 percent in the most recent national poll, less than half the PLP’s 38 percent, with the party still missing a candidate in the MICAL constituency.

The contrast with the PLP’s February 16 launch could not be sharper. The governing party presented a full slate of 41 candidates before a packed and energized crowd, projecting the kind of unity and momentum that was nowhere to be found at Saturday’s FNM event.

For Pintard, the question is no longer whether he can close the gap. It is whether the FNM can mount a credible campaign at all. A party that cannot fill a room for its own launch will struggle to convince Bahamians it is ready to run a country.

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